The Troubles of Matchmaking
by Amethyst Bubble
Summary: [Sequel to Matchmaker, Matchmaker] Nino decides her work as matchmaker isn't finished quite yet. Poor, poor Raven and Lucius...[RL, LH, MG, RW,KS, so on and so forth. Much shounen ai.][Discontinued]
1. That Matchmaking Urge

A/N: Well, everyone wanted a sequel to Matchmaker, Matchmaker, so this is it! I'm thinking this is going to be a chaptered fic instead of a one-shot. What is it with me and giving myself more work? -.-;;Sigh Oh well, at the very least, this should be fun to write! Anyone want to suggest who Nino should try to set up in later chapters? I'll take just about anything, and I'll at least put it in one-sided. ;; Heehee…

Disclaimer:KariNaya, the six year old pyromaniac daughter of Ammy's muses Nari and Kaya walks onstage

KariNaya: Amethyst Bubble does not own Fire Emblem in any way. Daddy, can I go blow up an ice cream truck, pretty please?

Nari:…-.-;;

**_WARNINGS: The following fic contains shonen ai of the Legault/Heath and Raven/Lucius kind. Matthew/Guy in later chapters as well. Future chapters may contain other shonen ai pairings, so those who dislike shonen ai are advised to click the nice back button. Thank you._**

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

            Ah, another bright, sunny morning was upon the army of Lord Eliwood of Pherae. Luckily, it was on the later side of the morning, closer to noon actually, so more people were coherent. Thank Saint Elimine.

            Unfortunately, the sunlight didn't scare away Nino, who Legault had come to view as some sort of vampire. A vampire that sucked personal information instead of blood, mind you.

            The young green haired sage smiled up at her 'uncle' all too innocently.

            "No, Nino," Legault sighed, turning on his heal and attempting to walk away from the little girl.

            "Aww, Uncle Legault! C'mon, just tell me a couple of things and I'll leave you alone!" Nino ran after the former Black Fang, "I promise!" She added, hoping it would get him to stop. Curse those longer legs of his!

            Legault sighed, coming to a halt. Kneeling before the girl, he looked her in the eye and asked, "What do you want to know?"

            "Well, there are a couple of things, but we'll start at the top of the list!" She chirped. Legault inwardly groaned. "First off, how long have you and Heath been…you know, a couple?" She grinned, her blue eyes sparkling.

            "That," He rose to his feet, tapping her head before continuing on his way, "Is none of your business."

            "Oh, that's not fair Uncle Legault!" She hurried after him, catching up and pulling on his cloak. "You promised!"

            "I did no such thing."

            "Well," she frowned. "If you won't tell me, I'll just have to ask Heath!"

            "You'll leave Heath alone," Legault said, tugging his cloak out of Nino's hands.

            "Why should I?"

           "He's embarrassed enough about you walking in on us," A faint blush spread across Legault's cheeks at the memory. "You're not to go around asking him a bunch of nonsense questions." And with that, the thief strode off, quickly disappearing into the many trees that lined the edges of the army's current campsite.

            "Hey! No fair!" Nino called after him, but she got no response. The green-haired sage crossed her arms over her chest, pouting.

            Still, Nino was determined to get her answers. She decided to go and question Heath anyway. "Where would he be around this time?" She asked herself, tapping her chin. "Well…maybe he's with Hyperion!" Nino grinned to herself. She set off for the spot where the wyvern was kept.

            Half way there she stopped. Lucius was standing a few feet away, looking rather upset. Walking up to the blonde and tapping him on the shoulder, she asked, "Are you all right?"

            "Oh, Nino," He smiled softly at her, "Yes, I'm quite all right. It's just…I haven't seen Lord Raven all morning, and I'm rather worried about him." He bit his lower lip, "You haven't seen him, have you?"

            "No, I haven't, but I'll help you look!" The green-haired girl offered, "I'll look over there and tell you if I find him!" She pointed at a grove of trees at the edge of the campsite and took off running for it before Lucius could reply.

            Nino first thought that there was no one there at all when she reached the trees. But on closer inspection, she saw a crimson-haired head. Grinning, she trotted up to the owner of the hair.

            "Hello, you're Raven, aren't you?" She asked, smiling at him.

            Crimson eyes glared at her, "And what if I am?" He growled.

            Nino blinked, backing away a couple steps, "I, umm, I … Lucius is looking for you…" She murmured. She'd never spoken to Raven before, and now that she had, she found him a little scary. "I'll…just go tell him that…you're over here…" Nino began to back away. However, a thought hit her and she stopped.

           "Say, Raven…" She said slowly, allowing the idea to form fully in her head. Adjusting her headband a bit, she asked, "Do you like anyone?" Nino's brief taste of matchmaking had made her crave more. Perhaps Raven would be happier and less, well, scary, if he had someone to love.

            A crimson eyebrow was raised, "I fail to see how that's any of your business. I don't even know your name."

            "I'm Nino," She smiled. "Well, I suppose it isn't my business, really. But I'm just so curious…so, do you?"

            "Nino, eh? Well, Nino, go bother some one else."

            "That isn't very nice!" She placed her hands on her hips, frowning a bit. This guy had some nerve. If he wasn't going to tell her, she'd just have to figure it out herself then. She sat down across from him, studying him closely, trying to remember who she'd seen him around.

            Raven looked up at the bright-eyed girl across from him, "What are you doing?"

            "I can sit here, too, can't I? I happen to think it's a rather nice spot." She ran a hand over the lush green grass to emphasize her point.

            Raven shrugged, closing his eyes as if deep in thought.

            Nino was deep in her owns thoughts, wracking her mind trying to remember who she'd seen Raven around. Suddenly, an image came to mind. A pretty girl, about her own age, maybe a bit older, with the same hair color as Raven. What was her name, again? Oh yes, Priscilla.

            "I know!" Nino exclaimed, clapping her hands in glee.

            Raven opened his eyes, glaring at the ecstatic little girl in front of him, "What?" He growled. Raven did not like when his peace was disturbed.

            "You like Priscilla, don't you?" She grinned, staring intently at Raven.

            A few yards away, basking in the shade of another tree, out of eye sight of the ones Nino and Raven were resting under, Priscilla's head snapped up, a rather glazed look on her face.

            Soft laughter sounded from the trees above Raven and Nino. The two looked up, and saw the grinning face framed by sandy-brown locks.

            "Pipsqueak, you're probably the only one here that doesn't know that Priscilla is Raven here's sister!" Matthew exclaimed, grinning down from his place in a tree.

            Back in the other grove of trees, Priscilla slumped, sighing. Why was incest so looked down upon?

            "She is?" Nino blinked, looking at Raven.

            "And I wonder how everyone found out about that little fact?" Raven growled, looking up at Matthew, who laughed nervously.

            "Eheheh…" A hand rose, combing through sandy-brown hair, "Look at it this way, isn't it a load off to have everyone know?"

            "You are dead." Raven's hand twitched, moving towards the hilt of his sword.

            Matthew jumped down from his perch in the tree, landing on his feet, much like a cat. "Hey, is that Guy calling me?" He asked, cupping a hand to his ear, "Yep, gotta go!" He took off running. Raven stood to go after him, but was stopped when a soft voice called his name.

            "Lord Raven! There you are!" Lucius walked over to his lord, smiling. "I've been looking for you."

            "Did I worry you?" Raven asked, using a much softer tone then he had when speaking to Nino.

            "Oh, well, yes a bit…" Lucius said, laughing softly, "I'm silly, aren't I?"

            Raven shook his head, smiling as he brushed a few strands of blonde hair behind Lucius' ear. A faint blush spread across the blonde's cheeks.

            And that's when the matchmaking urge struck Nino once again.

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Well, this was certainly fun to write. I'm kind of glad everyone wanted a sequel, because I had a lot of fun writing this. Heehee…Well, this chapter is for everyone who wants more Raven/Lucius fics! We need more! Nice reviews and more Raven/Lucius, Matthew/Guy, and Legault/Heath fanfiction will make me write the second chapter faster!Hint Hint, Nudge Nudge

Anyone want to suggest some more pairings to stick in here? I'll at least put it in one-sidedly…c'mon, suggest something! Nino's going to need more matchmaking candidates! I'm planning on having quite a few chapters for this fic, so don't be afraid to suggest more then one! ;;

Review, please! Nice reviews make the lazy authoress write faster!


	2. Madam Matchmaker

**A/N**: Yay! So many good reviews! I love you all! And everyone, go read Scarabsi's new Fire Emblem fic, it is so great! Scarabsi, now that I updated, you had better update! I NEED to read more! Oooh, I got a lot of pairing requests too! Some for KentSain, RathWil, HectorEliwood…and a NinoJaffar request. Eh, I would, I really would…but there are two reasons why I can't put NinoJaffar in. The first would be that I wasn't really going to write het in this fic (maybe I should have made that clearer -.-;;) and the second would be that Philip, a friend of mine and Nino fanatic extraordinaire, would find out and kill me. Err…I can put scenes in with both Nino and Jaffar, that aren't necessarily NinoxJaffar, and you can see it however you want and well…x.x;; Philip, please don't hurt me.

Nari: And here we see an example of an authoress trying to please the reviewers without getting herself killed. Isn't it sad?

**Disclaimer**:  Me? Own Fire Emblem?Falls over laughing

Nari: Introducing the only person in the world who can get a sugarhigh from sugarless raspberry popsicles.

**WARNING: The following contains shonen ai (boys love). Hinting of HectorLyn too. Oh, and there was a request for HectorEliwood, so don't worry, that'll be coming in later chapters. 'Sides…the one comment on HectorLyn nearly cost our poor normal archer number three his life!**

(Note: I think that fanfiction.net might be deleting my asterisks, so if things that look like they should be in asterisks in the A/N and disclaimer aren't, that's why.Sigh…were the asterisks on either side of the 'sigh' missing? o.o;;)

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**_The Troubles of Matchmaking_**

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**_Chapter 2_**

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**_By Amethyst Bubble_**

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            Nino was practically humming as she skipped around the campsite. Once again, her expertise as matchmaker was needed. Well, maybe she wasn't an expert, seeing as she had only played matchmaker once before, and it hadn't exactly worked, seeing as Legault was already seeing someone. But that didn't matter; all she knew was that Raven and Lucius seriously needed to be set up by someone. And that someone just happened to be her.

            She'd already done the background research, a bit of questioning here or there, and found out that they were not already a couple. Good, then what happened with Legault would not repeat itself.

            Nino was positively dying to tell someone about her brilliant plan. But who to tell? She had to confide in some one who wouldn't tell everyone else. In other words, confiding in Serra was not an option.

            Someone silent was needed. Someone who barely talked in the first place. Someone like her old friend Jaffar. Nino grinned, scanning the campsite until she found the silent assassin.

            Trotting up to him, she smiled widely, "Hi Jaffar!"

            "…"

            "Jaffar," Nino frowned, "are you listening to me?"

            "…"

            "And here I thought you cared!" Nino pouted, spinning on her heal and stamping off to find some other confident. (A/N: She means cared as in close friend…ahahaha…Dives behind a couch Philip, if you're reading this, don't hurt me!)

            The problem was, no one could keep a secret like Jaffar, mainly because Jaffar almost never talked.

            "Hmmf," Nino grumbled, "I need to tell someone! Or otherwise I'm going to burst!" She folded her arms over her chest.

            "What's eating at you?" A voice asked.

            "Huh?" Nino looked up, meeting the eyes of the resident chatterbox archer of the group.

            "You looked kind of down," Wil said, "Thought I'd come and cheer you up!"

            "Hey, Wil, can you keep a secret?" Nino asked.

            "Sure I can! Well, except for the one time I told everyone the reason Rebecca was here was to look for her brother, Dan, who was my best friend. Dart, you know, the pirate guy, he looks a lot like him! I wonder if they're related or something like that…"

            Nino raised an eyebrow, maybe Wil wasn't the best person to tell her plans too.

            "So, what's this secret?" He smiled at her.

            Well, it was Wil or no one, Nino told herself. "See, I've got this plan to play matchmaker…"

            "Matchmaker? Sounds like fun!"

            "Uh-huh," She nodded.

            "So, who are you planning to set up? It isn't Lord Hector and Lyn- oops, I mean, Lady Lyndis, I keep forgetting her whole name- because I don't think they'll appreciate it very much. I once said they'd make a nice couple, and nearly got my head chopped off!"

            "No, it isn't them. It's Raven and Lucius."

            "Sir Raven and Lucius?" Wil blinked. "You know, I've never thought of them like that. I mean, they're close and all, but Sir Raven's just too scary for Lucius I think. He's always scowling!"

            "Ah, you might think so," Nino said, her eyes lighting up at the memory of that morning. "But have you seen him around Lucius? It's like he's a totally different person! He smiled!"

            "He smiled?" Wil asked, a look of surprise on his face. "I don't believe it."

            "He really did!"  Nino exclaimed, "And he spoke differently too! All soft and quiet like!"

            "Wow! He must really be in love with Lucius to act that differently! Say, Nino, don't suppose I could help with this? I'm sort of friends with Sir Raven, well, as close to friends as you can get with him, and I'd like to see him happy! ...And maybe Lucius could get him to stop glaring at everyone."

            "Well," Nino considered this offer carefully. Surely, she could use an assistant. Matchmaking was no easy job, after all. Wil was certainly energetic enough to help, and he seemed genuinely interested. "Okay!" Nino said, grinning widely.

            "Alright! Thank you! This is going to be great!" Wil cheered, clapping his hands together.

            Nino nodded enthusiastically.

            "Hey, I don't suppose we could tell Rath about this, could we?" Wil asked, looking at Nino with inquisitive eyes.

            "Why?" Nino asked, curious. She didn't really mind if they told Rath, she just wanted to know why Wil wanted to let him know, instead of someone else.

            "Oh, no reason really," Wil said, turning his gaze to the sky, a soft smile on his lips.

            Nino was silent for a minute, before the realization dawned on her, "You like him, don't you?"

            "I-I…" Wil stuttered, blushing.

            "You do!" Nino laughed, clapping her hands in glee. "You like Rath!"

            "I…I…okay, I guess maybe I do." Wil's blush deepened.

            "Okay, we can tell him."

            "Really?" Wil grinned.

            "Of course!" Nino gave Wil the thumbs up sign. "But after we're done with Raven and Lucius, you have to let me set the two of you up!"

            Wil laughed, "Okay, madam matchmaker!"

            "Hmm…" Nino ran her fingers through her short green locks. "I rather like the sound of that, if I do say so myself. C'mon, let's go find Rath!"

            A few minutes and a bit of explaining later, the two found themselves staring up at Rath, the same eager expressions plastered to their faces.

            "And why," Rath raised an eyebrow, "are you 'setting up' Raven and Lucius in the first place?"

            "Because they're made for each other!" Nino insisted, doing a little twirl and clapping her hands together.

            "It's true love!" Wil added, sighing dramatically.

            "If it is true love, I'm sure they'll be able to…get together… on they're own." Rath said, crossing his arms.

            "No, no! They're both so oblivious to the love so obviously between them!" Nino cried, making sweeping motions with her arms to emphasize her point.

            "C'mon, Rath, won't you please help us?" Wil asked, looking up at Rath and blinking cutely. "Do it for me?"

            Rath sighed, "…Fine."

            "Yes! Thank you Rath!" Wil cried, throwing himself at Rath and hugging him tightly. Rath stood frozen, shock written all over his face. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the other boy in a loose hug, smiling wryly.

            Nino giggled at the sight. This matchmaker thing was a lot of fun, and she'd barely even started.

            Wil pulled away from Rath, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "So, madam matchmaker, what's our first move?"

            "Okay," Nino began, raising her arms dramatically, "this is what we'll do…"

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I'm evil, aren't I?Grins

Review please! Remember, reviews and shonen ai Fire Emblem fanfiction make me update faster, yes indeed!


	3. Hiding and Trees

A/N: Hmmm…someone mentioned that the last chapter wasn't quite as good as the first. Well, sorry about that, it was written in quite a rush. This one will be much better, I promise! Wow, a lot of people like RathWil, eh? Heehee…

Oh yes, anyway, fanfiction.net definitely is deleting asterisks when you upload fics. Unless, of course, it's just doing it to me…o.o

Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, Matthew and Guy would get married at the end. It's safe to say I don't own Fire Emblem.

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

Chapter 3

By Amethyst Bubble

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            "Legault?"

            "Yes?"

            "What are we doing?"

            "Hiding, Heath. I thought it was quite obvious…"

            The green-haired wyvern rider rolled his eyes, "I know that. But why are we hiding? What exactly are we hiding from?"

            "…Bern's soldiers." Legault replied, peering out from behind the trunk of one of the trees he and Heath were situated behind.

            "Ha ha. Seriously, what are we hiding from?" Heath asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

            "You look adorable when you're annoyed."

            "_Legault_…"

            "Fine, fine," The thief said, "We're hiding from a certain mage."

            "Nino?"

"Ssh! There's a legend that says if you speak a person's name, you'll see them soon!"

            "Okay, you really are paranoid. She's just a little girl!" Heath exclaimed.

            "Do you want her asking you all kind of weird questions? Because that's what's going to happen if you talk to her!"

            "What…kind of weird questions?" Heath asked, curious. Weird questions came by the dozens, and Nino asking him what kind of shampoo he used was much preferable to some others he could think of.

            "She wanted to know how long we'd been a ... 'couple'." Legault said slowly, raking a hand through his violet hair.

            "A couple?" Heath repeated, surprised.

            Legault nodded, looking out from behind the tree trunk again. So far, so good, Nino was no where to be seen. Hopefully, she'd found something else to occupy herself with.

 Two softly spoken words broke through Legault's chain of thought.

            "…Are we?"

            "What?" Legault blinked, turning his gaze to Heath.

            "A couple, I mean…um, are we?" Heath asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "I mean, we…we've kissed and all, but…" He trailed off, blushing a deep crimson.

            Legault smiled, "Would you like to be?"

            Heath looked up, surprised, "…Huh?" Was all he could say.

            Legault chuckled, brushing a few of Heath's dark-green bangs out of his eyes. "I wouldn't have a problem with being a couple. I'd rather like it, actually. I like you Heath." Legault paused and shook his head, "No, it's more then that. I think I might just love you. So, if you'd like to be a couple, I'd have no problem with it."

            "I…I'd like it a lot," Heath murmured, his eyes locked with Legault's.

            "Good," Legault said, placing a light kiss on Heath's cheek before going back to the 'Nino Watch'.

            "Legault?" Heath asked quietly.

            "Yes?" Legault said, not taking his eyes away from the patch of grass beyond the tree. You never know when Nino will appear.

            "I…I love you too!" Heath blurted out, blushing furiously.

            Legault blinked a few times, studying Heath. Finally, he smiled seductively, "I know."

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            Nino skipped along happily, Wil and Rath following a little whiles behind.

            "Now, where do you suppose Raven and Lucius are?" Nino questioned, frowning slightly, "hopefully, they aren't together. For this plan to work, they can't be in the same place. And it'll be awfully hard to separate them if they are together."

            Rath sighed, wondering how he got involved in this silly quest. Oh right, the reason was right next to him, chatting excitedly with Nino. Rath sighed again.

            "Rath, what do you think? Rath?" Wil waved a hand in front of Rath's face, "Are you listening to me?"

            Rath blinked, "Sorry. What were you saying, again?"

            "Nino's going to talk to Lucius, and I'm going to talk to Raven. We're going to try and get them to admit their feelings!" Wil exclaimed.

            "…Sounds like a…interesting plan." Rath said slowly. He did not get this matchmaking business.

            "Yep!" Wil said, grinning from ear to ear. "So, we were wondering if you can be the lookout. Like if Nino's talking to Lucius, and Raven comes along, you could warn her," Wil explained. "That is…if you want to…"

            Rath shrugged.

            Wil grinned again, "Thanks Rath! You're the best!"

            Nino giggled quietly all the while, watching the two.

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            "Lord Raven? Lord Raven?" Lucius called. "Hmmf! I find him, and then he just up and disappears again!"

            "As long as he didn't disappear to look for me, all is well."

"Matthew, I thought it was agreed that you'd stay out of those trees. You're going to give someone a heart attack," Lucius said, looking up at the sandy-haired thief. "What are you doing up there anyway?"

            "I've got someone else to hide from besides your lord, Lucius." Matthew grinned.

            "Guy?"

            "Bingo," Matthew replied, stretching lazily. "If you see him, don't tell him where I am. I'm not in the mood to put up with another one of those cute little speeches he always seems to prepare for our meetings."

            Lucius didn't reply, as he heard footsteps growing nearer.

            "Gack!" Matthew scrambled a few branches higher into the tree, so he was completely hidden by the leaves.

            "Matthew, I know you're here somewhere! Matthew!" Guy called, "Come out and fight me like a man! I won't loose to you this time!"

            Lucius sighed. All he had wanted was to find his Lord, but things were never that simple, nooooo…

            "Lucius, have you seen Matthew?" Guy rounded on the blonde bishop.

            Lucius blinked. The faster he got out of this, the faster he could get back to finding Lord Raymond. He pointed at the tree.

            "Thanks!" Guy smiled happily, running up to the tree, long braid bouncing behind him. "Matthew! I know you're up there! Lucius told me!"

            A couple of colorful curses were heard from the said tree. Guy grinned, grabbing on to a low branch and swinging himself into the tree, climbing after Matthew.

            Lucius raised an eyebrow. He'd never understand those two. Hearing a soft thump, Lucius spun around. Matthew had jumped down from the tree, and landed, cat-like, on his feet.

            More curses sounded from the tree, but this time it was Guy who had spoken them.

            Matthew winked at Lucius, before taking off in the other direction.

            The bishop eyes went from the tree (and the Sacaean stuck in it) to the spot where Matthew had been, and back to the tree. Deciding this situation was best left as it was, Lucius scampered away to look for his Lord.

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            "What do you want?" Raven asked, looking up at the grinning archer.

            "Hiya, Sir Raven!" Wil said, "I haven't talked to you in a while! How have things been?"

            "Why don't you go bother someone else?"

            Wil pouted, "All I want to know is how one of my friend's is doing! Is that too much to ask?"

            Raven sighed, "If I tell you, will you go away?"

            "If you answer three questions, I'll leave you alone for the whole day!" Wil smiled, holding up three fingers.

            Raven considered the offer carefully. Three questions in exchange for a whole Wil-free day. "I'll do it, if you'll leave me alone for three days."

            "Three days?" Wil exclaimed, eyes widening.

            "Three questions for three days, it seems fair to me."

            "But-"

            "Or," Raven said, locking his crimson eyes with Wil's warm brown ones. "I could just not answer your questions."

            Wil sighed, crossing his arms across his chest, "Fine."

            "Alright, then. Start asking."

            "How have you been lately?"

            "Fine," Raven answered. If he could keep the answers as short as possible, he could be Wil-free in no time.

            "Have you talked to Lucius, lately?"

            Raven raised an eyebrow. "I don't see what it is to you, but I spoke to him this morning. One question left." If Wil didn't know better, he could have sworn Raven had smiled when the subject of Lucius came up. Or maybe he was smiling because there was one question left.

            "How," Wil began, choosing his words carefully. He wanted to walk out of this in one piece. "Do you feel about Lucius?"

            "He's too nice for his own good."

            "No," Wil said, "How do you feel about him! Not your opinion!"

            "I gave you your answers," Raven said, "And now, you have to hold up your end of the deal."

            "But, Raven-"

            Crimson eyes flashed, as Raven walked over to Wil, until they were almost nose to nose. "You want to know what I think about him? I think he's God damn beautiful. Now if I hear so much as one word from you within the next three days, I will decapitate you." And with that, Raven turned around and went to find somewhere else to relax.

            Wil stood there, blinking, slowly absorbing the information he'd just received. Then, he let out a squeal, jumping up and down before running off to find Nino and Rath and tell them everything.

            From behind a tree, Lucius stepped out, his blue eyes wide. He hadn't been able to hear anything from his position, but he'd seen everything. And taken it completely the wrong way.

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            Heh, I thought that was a good place to leave off. I hope everyone liked this chapter! And yet again, I surprise myself by managing to write this in one day. o.o Heh… I can write faster then I thought.

Remember, reviews and fanfiction inspire the authoress to update faster! Wink wink, nudge nudge, hint hint.


	4. Stuck in That Tree

A/N: o.o;; Sorry for taking so long, everyone. I didn't mean to put it off for so long. Guess I got lazy again. Once again, I apologize for the late update. Sorry everyone! I'm going to try and make this chapter really good to make up for, okay?

Disclaimer: …Wait a second. I know I don't own Fire Emblem, and you know I don't own Fire Emblem…so why is this disclaimer here? I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own Fire Emblem.

**_Dedication: _**This chapter is dedicated to Scarabsi, because her fic rocks. XD Go read it! REALLY cool plot twisty-thingy in the third chapter. I updated, so now you better get working on the fourth chapter, Scarabsi!

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

Chapter 4

By Amethyst Bubble

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            One of the problems with squashing over forty people into one small campsite is that it was almost impossible to find one person. Nino frowned; this was taking forever! She could have sworn she'd passed that tree before.

            Uh-huh…she'd definitely passed that tree before. That was the one with Guy stuck in it.

            Ignoring his pleas for help, she continued on her way. She couldn't help people out of trees right now! She was on a mission! Her sky blue eyes scanned the campsite. She must have searched everywhere by now. Suddenly, her eyes caught on a patch of trees. She hadn't looked there yet, unless she was greatly mistaken.

            Sporting a wide grin, Nino set off towards the trees, only to stop short once she was in hearing distance. Moaning could be heard from the trees. And not the kind of 'I'm-wounded-somebody-hear-my-pathetic-moaning-and-get-help' kind of moans, either. This was the kind of moaning she was way too young to be hearing. And to make matters worse, it sounded like Heath's voice. Followed by Legault saying something she couldn't quite catch (and she was quite thankful for that).

            Well, it was safe to say Lucius wasn't there. Nino quietly edged away from those trees, blushing like a maniac. Those two should really get a room.

            She quickly scurried to the other edge of the camp, trying to clear her mind of all the perverted images that moaning had inspired. She didn't think she'd be able to look Uncle Legault in the eye without turning a color that would make a tomato jealous.

            She approached another grove of trees, hoping to Elimine that there weren't people doing obscene things in there, too. Once again, she stopped short when she was hearing distance. This time, moans weren't what made her stop, but rather soft sobbing. Inching closer, Nino hid herself behind a tree, carefully peeking out from behind its trunk so she could get a look at who was crying.

            Lucius sat on the ground, sobbing like his heart was broken. Serra and Erk were kneeling next to him. Serra reached over, patting Lucius' shoulder in a comforting gesture. Concern shown in Erk's eyes, though he was trying hard to conceal it.

            "What's wrong, Lucius? C'mon, you can tell me. I'm the best secret keeper ever," Serra said, making the cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die sign.

            Lucius sniffled, looking up at the cleric and the mage with teary blue eyes, "L-lord Raven…" was all he could get out before breaking into sobs again.

            "Raven's what? He isn't _hurting _you, is he?" Serra gasped, raising a gloved hand to her mouth. "I always knew he was the violent type!"

            "Serra, shut up," Erk growled. "I'm sure Raven isn't abusing Lucius."

            "Well, what's wrong then?" Serra asked, frowning. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know now!

            Lucius sniffled again, trying to calm himself down. "I…I saw…him and Wil…"

            "Him and Wil what?" Erk asked, raising an eyebrow. He'd overheard a conversation between the cheery archer and Raven recently, and part of his mind wondered whether Raven had gotten so annoyed with Wil that he had slaughtered him.

            Lucius mumbled something.

            "What was that?" Serra asked, leaning closer and cupping her hand to her ear.

            Lucius mumbled it again. Erk still hadn't heard, but Serra, who had been so close to Lucius that they could have been attached at the hip, let out a loud gasp.

            "YOU SAW HIM KISSING WIL? RAVEN AND WIL? KISSING?" She shrieked, her eyes going wide.

            Erk clapped his hands to his ears. Hanging around Serra was doing a lot of damage to her eardrums.

            Nino had stuff her sleeve into her mouth to mutter her own gasp. She sneaked away from the tree, slightly dazed by what she had overheard.

            Her dazed state quickly turned to one of outrage. Her own assistant, meddling with her biggest matchmaking project…the very thought made Nino see red. Wil had some nerve. She had to find him and give him a piece of her mind.

-------------------------------

            Matthew was bored. Very, very bored. Where was entertainment when you needed it? Usually, by this time entertainment had come his way, demanding a fight, insulting him and looking oh-so-very adorable all at the same time. Little did Matthew know, entertainment, also know as Guy, was currently stuck in a tree.

            Unknowingly, Matthew had wandered back to the spot where he'd left Guy stranded in a tree earlier.

            "Matthew!" The myrmidon exclaimed, glaring down at the red-cloaked figure as best he could. Guy did not like heights; he did not like them in the least.

            "Guy?" The thief looked up in surprise, "What are you still doing up there?"

            Guy let out an undignified little squeak, turning crimson. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves on the tree and his dark green hair, and he gripped the branch underneath him tighter as it swayed and groaned in the wind.

            A wide grin broke over Matthew's face, "You can't get down, can you?"

            Guy glared down at him. Damned Matthew with his damned ability to guess the truth! "I can get down!" He lied, hoping the thief would go away. He didn't like being at Matthew's mercy. Again.

            "Alright, show me." Matthew dared, smirking up at Guy. The green-haired teenager looked so cute and flustered. Matthew was going to remember this, and never let Guy live it down. Imagine, the proud Sacaean swordsman, stuck in a tree! Matthew could have died laughing right there and then.

            "I…I…" Guy stuttered, looking for some kind of excuse. He would not let the thief see him in a moment of weakness, no matter that the branch underneath him was creaking in a very unsettling way. "…The view's nice from up here. I'm not ready to come down."

            "Guy, you're a horrible liar," Matthew sighed, raking a hand from his sandy hair. "Don't lie to me. You are stuck in that tree, aren't you?"

            The branch creaked again, and Guy yelped. Screw not appearing weak in front of Matthew, he wanted to get down. "Okay, I am! I admit it! Are you happy now?" Guy squeezed his eyes shut. He really didn't want to see the look of superiority that was surely spreading across Matthew's face…

            "Jump."

             Guy's dark eyes snapped open, "What?" He gasped, staring down at Matthew. The thief had moved closer, a smile on his lips, but it wasn't one of superiority.

            "Just jump. I swear I'll catch you."

            Guy eyed Matthew suspiciously. He wanted to get down, but he didn't want to owe Matthew even more favors. "What's the catch?"

            Matthew cringed at the suspicious tone in Guy's voice. "Don't you trust me?"

            "No."

            Matthew frowned, "Just jump! I swear, if I don't catch you, I'll owe you a favor, how about that?"

            Another gust of wind blew, this one stronger then the last. The branch underneath Guy creaked, swaying slightly. Guy cringed, shutting his eyes tightly.

            "C'mon, jump!" Was it his imagination, or was that a hint of concern in Matthew's voice. Opening his eyes, Guy was shocked to see concern in Matthew's amber eyes too.

            Taking a deep breath, Guy prepared to do as Matthew had ordered.

---------------------

Chapter 4-End

---------------------

X.x;; I mean to write more, but I'll save that for the next chapter. I hoped everyone liked this. I'll try to have chapter 5 up soon, but odds are I won't get a chance to write until after I get back from my vacation.

Oh, and for everyone who wants Kent/Sain, that's going to be in the next chapter, I swear!

Reviews, shonen ai fanfiction, and an update from Scarabsi will make me write faster. You all get the hint. XD


	5. Interruptions and Misunderstandings

A/N: I'm going on vacation on Friday! I won't be back to the 27th, so I probably won't update again until a little bit after that. I'm going with my friend, Chava, and I'm bringing a whole lot of Fire Emblem pictures to show her. XD I would bring the game, but my brother won't let me. So I'm bringing her the official art (you don't want to know how much paper and ink I'm wasting printing these out) and I'm going to show her all the lovely couplings…Lalala…

Disclaimer: Look at the FE endings. See? Heath ends up in Ilia, and…Dammit, I forgot Legault's, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't say that he marries Heath, steals a giant castle and a whole lot of white gems, and they live happily ever after, fairy tale style.

…With a nice picture of Legault and Heath kissing, of course. XD

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

Chapter 5

By Amethyst Bubble

-------------------------------------

"I…I can't do it…"

Matthew's head snapped up, "What do you mean you can't do it? Just jump!"

Guy glared down at him, "Don't you think I'm trying? My body won't listen to me!"

Amber eyes locked with dark green ones, "Try harder, then."

"I can't, okay? I'm really trying! Don't you think I want to get down?"

Matthew scratched the back of his head, "How'd you get up there anyway?" Guy glared daggers at him, and the memory dawned on the thief. "Oh yeah…guess I've ruined your life again, huh?"

A dark green braid bobbed up and down as its owner nodded his head.

Matthew sighed, rolling his eyes, reaching up and grabbing a low branch, preparing to pull himself up into the tree.

"W-what are you doing?" Guy asked.

"Since it's my fault you're up here in the first place, I guess it's my responsibility to get you down, huh?" Matthew smirked.

"Oh, no no no," Guy said, frowning. "I do not want to owe you any more favors, Matthew. If you think you can get another one out of me for rescuing me, you'd best go climb back down!" He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a few deep breaths. Being up this high was really getting to him, now. He wanted nothing more then to feel solid ground beneath his feet. But not even that was worth owing Matthew more then he already did.

"Be quiet, I'm doing this for free," Matthew appeared on the branch, inching over towards Guy, moving carefully so as not to break the thin tree limb. He kneeled next to Guy, "Wrap your arms around my neck, okay? And let's be civil about this; _no strangling_!"

Guy rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around Matthew's neck loosely. "Strangling you would mean being stranded in this tree. I think the fear of heights outweighs the temptation to kill you." This statement was followed by a small 'eep' as the swordsman realized what he had just admitted, "N-not that I'm a-afraid of heights…"

Now it was Matthew's turn to roll his eyes, placing one arm around Guy's shoulders and another under his knees, "Don't worry, I figured out your little fear when you were too paralyzed to jump out of the tree." He hoisted Guy up and into his arms, balancing himself on the tree limb.

Guy shrieked, grabbing handfuls of Matthew's cloak. "What are you doing?"

"What you weren't able to," Matthew smirked. "Jumping out of this tree."

----------------------------------

Wil was busy looking for Rath when Nino found him.

"Hi, Nino! Wait 'til you find out what Raven told me! This is such a big breakthrough! You aren't going to believe this and…why are you looking at me like that?"

Nino glared up at Wil as fiercely as she could, "You…you …I'm so angry at you I don't even know what to say!"

Wil titled his head to one side, a confused look plastered all over his face, "What did I do?"

"What do you mean what did you do? You know what you did!"

"Err…no, actually, I really don't…" Wil laughed nervously. The little green haired girl was starting to scare him.

"You kissed Raven!" Nino hissed through clenched teeth.

Wil nearly fell over. "What? I didn't…What makes you think I kissed Raven?"

"I heard Lucius say so! He was crying and Serra asked why and he said that you kissed Raven! Lucius wouldn't lie about something that!"

"I…I…"

"Oh!" A thought dawned on Nino; an unlikely thought, but with her limited knowledge of Raven, it might just have happened. "He wouldn't…would he?" She whispered to herself, then she turned back to Wil and asked, "Did he force himself on you?"

"What are you talking about-"

A rustling from the bushes nearby interrupted the conversation. Nino spun around, gripping her Elfire book tightly. Wil drew an arrow from his quiver, fitting it to his bow. Nothing happened. Wil and Nino slowly lowered their weapons.

"What was that?"

Wil shrugged, "Maybe some sort of woodland animal?"

--------------------

As it so happened, while Wil was looking for Rath, the Sacaean was looking for him. He stopped as he heard Wil's voice, emerald green eyes landing on Wil and Nino, who were apparently in a heated argument, and Rath moved behind a tree, not wanting to interrupt. (A/N: …People seem to be hiding behind trees a lot in this fic, don't they? Hmm…maybe I just like the image.)

"You kissed Raven!"

Rath's eyes widened.

"What? I didn't…What makes you think I kissed Raven?"

The Sacaean sighed in relief; maybe Nino had seen or heard wrong.

"I heard Lucius say so! He was crying and Serra asked why and he said that you kissed Raven! Lucius wouldn't lie about something that!"

As much as he didn't want to, Rath had to admit Nino had a point.

"I…I…"

"Oh!" A pause and a few whispered words, "Did he force himself on you?"

Rath didn't wait to hear the rest of the conversation. He didn't question whether Nino actually knew what she was talking about or not. He saw red; Raven would pay.

-----------------------------

Guy clutched at Matthew's cloaked, breathing heavily.

"Never…do that…again. Ever."

Matthew laughed, "I thought it was fun! Your screaming was really amusing." He smirked at Guy, who glared at him in return.

"I hate you."

"The fact that your clinging to me really states that," Matthew smiled wryly.

A blush spread across Guy's cheeks, "Shut up."

"No," The thief grabbed Guy by the shoulders, forcing him to lie down on the grass. Now Guy had a clear view of the tree in which he had previously been stuck in. This day was getting to be too much for him.

Matthew grinned down at Guy, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief.

"W-what are you doing?" Guy stuttered for what must have been the third time that hour.

Matthew's smirk widened. He leaned down, nuzzling Guy's neck.

Guy turned crimson. Why oh why did Matthew insist on torturing him? Although…he had to admit, having Matthew this close to him didn't feel all that bad at all.

Matthew pulled back, staring into Guy's eyes. Guy stared back. Centimeter by centimeter, Matthew closed the distance between them, until their lips were almost touching…

"MATTHEW!" A shrill voice rang out. Matthew jerked away from Guy just as Serra appeared.

The pink haired cleric bounded over to Matthew, latching onto his arm. "Oh, Matthew! It's terrible! Rath and Raven are fighting! With each other!"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. Damn Serra, interrupting his chance to…well, yeah, damn Serra. "And what am I supposed to do about that?" He asked, removing her from his arm.

The cleric pouted, "Well, you're supposed to stop them, of course!" She peaked at Guy, still lying on the grass blushing like no tomorrow, "Mind if I borrow Matthew for a moment?" She chirped. Before Guy could even blink, Serra had dragged Matthew away, presumably to stop the fight between Rath and Raven.

----------------------------

Chapter 5-End

---------------------------

…I originally intended to write more, but I felt Writer's Block setting in so I decided to end it there. Hope everyone liked it. I know it's probably not as good as the previous chapters, but I was rushed. I'm going to update a bit after I get back, okay? Well, once again, I hope you all like this!

I know, I know...I promised KentxSain in the last chapter and didn't deliver. I'm sorry! I meant to, but then I had to cut the chapter short because it was getting long, the room I was typing in didn't have air conditioning, and a whole bunch of other lame excuses! Believe me, I will have it in the next chapter, I swear! I have it all worked out already! It's fluffy...

You may all beat me with sticks now, if you wish.

Remember my lovely reviewers, nice reviews and fanfiction will help me update! And Scarabsi, PLEASE update soon! I need to read more!

See you all soon! (_Skips off to pack_)


	6. Of Fights and Injuries

**A/N**: Yes, Ammy's been a very bad girl…Ammy hasn't updated. Will Ammy's readers forgive Ammy? (puppy eyes) Anyway, Ammy's going to try and make this chapter good, alright? And R Amethyst, I know this is becoming a soap opera. I'll try to make it a bit less soap-ish, okay? Scarabsi, you are so wonderful for updating again before I even updated. You wrote a great chapter, and managed to guilt trip me into writing this! This chapter is dedicated to you, oh marvelous one!

**Disclaimer**: (Daydreaming about muffins)…Huh? Oh, yeah, I don't own Fire Emblem. (Daydreams about muffins and owning Fire Emblem)

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

Chapter 6

By Amethyst Bubble

--------------------

Isn't it funny how a good day can go bad so fast? One minute, you're planning on setting up two people, the next, you find out your assistant may have kissed one of them. Nino felt cheated. She and Wil walked back to camp in silence, which was unusual for the two.

Finally, Wil spoke. "Nino, I really didn't kiss Raven," He said quietly. "I mean, why would I do that? I like Rath."

Nino frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "If you didn't kiss him, why does Lucius think you did?"

"I don't know," Wil shook his head.

Nino didn't reply, and the two walked on in silence for a while.

"Wil! Nino!"

The two turned around to see Rebecca running towards them, a troubled look on her normally smiling face. "There you are! I was worried!"

"Rebecca, is something wrong?" Wil asked as Rebecca came to a stop, panting lightly.

She nodded, her green braids bobbing up and down. "It's…Rath and Raven."

"Rath?" Wil panicked, "Is he okay? Is he injured? Did the enemy capture him? What's going on? What's wrong with Rath?"

Rebecca silenced him with a shake of her head, "He's fine…well, kind of fine. He and Raven got into a fight."

"They got into a fight?" Nino chimed in, "About what?"

"Him, apparently," Rebecca pointed one slender finger at Wil.

"Me?" The archer blinked. "What are they fighting about me for?"

Rebecca shrugged, "I don't know. I just heard them talking about you…well, screaming at each other about you is more like it."

Nino's hands flew to her mouth, "Oh, this is absolutely horrible!"

"Come on," Rebecca said, motioning for them to follow her. "I'll lead you to them."

-------------------------

Guy stared up at the sky, still slightly dazed. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground. He shook his head, trying to clear out all thoughts of a certain smirking thief. Despite his efforts, he couldn't get Matthew out of his head.

A _flash of red cloth, twinkling amber eyes, a slightly evil smirk._

Guy hit himself over the head, "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" He pushed his bangs out of his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. It was normal to think about Matthew, right? After all, he thought about Matthew all the time.

Except that those thoughts were usually about how evil Matthew was, or about a new strategy Guy could use to beat him.

These thoughts were about how nice it felt when Matthew had been nuzzling him, or when Matthew had picked him up. Either Matthew was incredibly strong for a thief, or Guy was even thinner then he'd thought.

…Guy would be eating more then usual that night.

"Calm down," He told himself, taking a few deep breaths.

_Amber eyes stared down at him, but they didn't hold their usual teasing look. Those eyes were full of lust…and maybe something else, too. Something deeper then lust._

_ Guy felt his breath catch as Matthew leaned in, closing the distance between them centimeter by centimeter. Matthew was so close that Guy could feel his breath on his lips, and then…_

"Serra, I don't know whether to thank you or strangle you," Guy sighed.

No matter how hard he tried, Guy couldn't get rid of that one annoying little thought that floated around in his mind.

_'He was about to kiss me…'_

---------------------

Voices floated through the trees, and Rebecca broke into a run as they neared the clearing. Wil and Nino followed her, and they found themselves in a small clearing. Most of the camp was there, all standing in a circle. In the middle of the circle were Rath and Raven.

Nino let out a relieved sigh; at least they weren't fighting each other with weapons.

Her expression changed as Raven took a swing at Rath's head. Rath dodged, barely avoiding Raven's fist. She squeaked, but then her eyes caught a flash of purple. She shot into the crowd, determined to find out whether her 'uncle' was there or not.

Wil's soft brown eyes widened, and he let out something between a shriek and a gasp. He took a step forward, but Rebecca grabbed his arm.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to stop them!" Wil cried, trying to pry her fingers off her arm, but Rebecca held on.

"No!" Rebecca said harshly. "Kent tried to stop them, and do you know what happened to him?"

"What? Is he okay?" Wil momentarily stopped his struggles. He certainly hoped Sir Kent was all right.

"Raven hit him, nearly broke his arm, I think…" Rebecca took a shuddery breath. She was used to battle at this point, but seeing her comrades attack each other? It was almost too much for her.

"Sir Raven did that with his bare hands?" Wil asked, awe struck. He knew Raven was strong, but _that_ strong?

"He had a sword." Rebecca informed Wil.

"…Why isn't he fighting Rath with a sword, then?" Wil blinked.

"It broke," Rebecca stated in a tone that suggested that she didn't think too highly of Wil's intelligence at this point. "Rath and Raven were fighting with weapons in the beginning, but Rath's only had one arrow and he missed. Raven got one good hit on Rath before his sword broke." She pointed at Rath's shoulder. The Sacaean's shirt was soaked with blood that seemed to originate from the shoulder Rebecca was pointing to.

"Oh, poor Rath…" Wil breathed. "…Is Sir Kent all right?"

Rebecca nodded, "Yes. Sain dragged him off to one of the tents, and they were going to find a healer."

"That's good. Now," Wil slipped his arm out of Rebecca's grasp. "I've got to go stop this fight." He gave her a cheery grin.

"Wait, Wil!" Rebecca cried, but Wil had already disappeared into the crowd. "…Don't get killed," She whispered.

-----------------------

"There," Lucius smiled, setting his Mend stave down. He carefully wrapped Kent's arm in linen bandages. "It was a deep cut, and I've closed the wound. It's lucky that your arm wasn't broken," Lucius finished bandaging Kent's arm. "I'm so sorry about this. I don't know what Lord Raven was thinking."

"No, it's all right." Kent said, inspecting the bandages.

"All right? It's not all right! That jerk could have broken your arm!" Sain exclaimed, sitting down next to Kent.

"Be quiet, Sain."

"Hmmf, fine."

Lucius laughed lightly, "Still, I apologize for him." He slowly rose, "I have to go now."

"You're planning on stopping the fight," Kent observed, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Lucius smiled sadly, "No. Still, I have to try, don't I?" He gripped his Mend stave tightly.

Kent nodded, "I understand. Good luck," he watched as Lucius exited the tent.

The two cavaliers sat in silence for a few moments, before the emerald knight spoke up.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He said, locking his hands behind his head, sighing.

Kent raised an eyebrow, "Trying to stop them was the right thing to do."

"Fine then, you're a noble idiot." Sain grinned, moving closer to Kent and resting his head on the other cavalier's shoulder.

"…Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Kent smirked, locking his eyes with Sain's.

"Not really," Sain replied, reaching over and trailing his fingers over the bandages on Kent's arm. "Does it hurt?" He asked, looking up at Kent.

Kent shook his crimson head, "Not really."

"I can't believe he attacked you!" Sain growled suddenly, his eyes darkening. "I swear, the next time I see him…"

"Sain," Kent said. "Calm down. I'm sure Raven has his own reasons, as does Rath."

"I can't calm down," Sain shook his head.

Kent wrapped an arm around Sain's shoulders, resting his head on top of the other cavalier's. "Why not?"

"Because," Sain leaned into Kent's half embrace, trailing a hand up Kent's bandaged arm with the utmost care. "He hurt my handsome, noble idiot."

Kent pulled away, staring at Sain, "Your handsome noble idiot?" He repeated softly. He made a move as if to touch Sain, but pulled his hand away, curling it into a fist.

Sain blushed bright crimson, "I…I…" He got up, running to the flap of the tent. Right before he left, he turned around and looked Kent straight in the eye. "I love you, Kent." Then he left.

Kent reached out, but his hand only met air. Pulling it back, he raked his hand through his hair. "Oh, Sain…" He sighed, looking at the tent flap with a longing expression. "And you think I'm an idiot."

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Chapter 6-End-

-------------------------

TA-DA! Another abrupt, poor excuse for a cliff hanger of an ending. I'm pathetic, I know. But, hey! I lived up to my promise of KentxSain! Yay me! I know, I know…I promised to update this a couple days ago, but that chapter of Something Wicked sucked up all my inspiration.

Reviews! Fanfiction! ...You get the point by now, don't you? Ahahahaha… (Runs away)


	7. A Confession of Love

A/N: Wow…everyone liked my poor attempt at KentxSain. You're reviews made me happy… Hmm… I'd say the fic is coming to an end pretty soon. Maybe another 3 or 4 chapter to go? About that, I think. Sorry this took so long… Don't throw things at me, please. (Whimper)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. (GASP! SHOCK!)

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The Troubles of Matchmaking

Chapter 7

By Amethyst Bubble

--------------------------------------

Nino wove her way through the crowd, quietly sneaking up on a certain someone. Reaching up, she tugged on a purple cape that seemed more sloppily draped over the owner's shoulders then usual.

Legault looked down at the green-haired girl, "Hello Nino." He sighed; there was no possible escape from his 'niece'. Damn this crowd.

"Hi, Uncle Legault," She said, her eyes darting from him to the figure next to him, "…Hi Heath. You don't look so good," She observed, looking at his tousled hair and wrinkled clothing.

The wyvern rider and the thief blushed in unison. Legault laughed nervously and Heath looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him alive.

Nino shook her head, her short green locks flying back and forth, "Anyway…isn't this fight horrible?"

"I'll say," Legault grumbled. "It interrupted some very pleasurable things…"

"LEGAULT!" Heath shouted, turning an even brighter shade of crimson.

Nino's eyes grew wide, "Uhh…I'm not sure I want to know…"

Legault opened his mouth to reply but Heath clapped a hand over his mouth before he could say anything.

"Don't you dare!" He hissed.

Legault removed Heath's hand, "I was going to tell her that it's none of her business…You don't trust me much, do you?"

"Can you blame me?" Heath mumbled.

Nino blinked. All of this was giving her a headache. Maybe she should have just stayed with Wil and yelled at him some more. Or better yet, stayed with Rebecca and worried about whether Rath and Raven were really going to kill each other or not.

"Anyway," Heath said with a pointed glare at Legault. "Yes, Nino, this fight is horrible."

"No one seems to know what it's about, either," Legault commented, snaking an arm around Heath's waist. The wyvern rider glared at him again, attempting to shove Legault's arm away.

"Rebecca told me it's over Wil!" Nino piped up.

"Wil?" Heath blinked, "He's that archer, right? The one that won't shut up?"

"A fight over Wil?" Legault raised an eyebrow, "I thought Raven was involved with that blonde monk."

Nino nodded frantically, "He is! I know it! That's why I can't understand why there fighting…I mean, I know Rath likes Wil…well, actually, I don't but I know that Wil likes Rath…"

Legault cut Nino off by putting a finger against her lips, "Say that slower, please."

Nino took a breath, "Raven definitely likes Lucius a lot. I don't really understand why Rath and Raven could be fighting, especially over Wil. I know that Rath likes Wil…at least, I'm pretty certain that he does."

"Since when did you become so well versed in the relationships of this rag-tag army?" Legault asked suspiciously. He had a sneaking suspicion that Nino had been snooping around in everyone's love life ever since she'd tried to set him up.

"Well, it kind of started when I tried to get you a girlfriend…" Nino said meekly, playing the innocent role. She played with a lock of her hair, keeping her eyes focused on the ground so she wouldn't have to look at Legault.

"She tried to get you a girlfriend?" Heath asked, looking rather confused, "When?"

Legault sighed, "The morning she walked in on us."

Heath turned bright red at the memory, "Oh…"

"So, failing to set me up inspired you to mess around with other people's lives?" Legault guessed, staring down at the girl.

Nino nodded, "Well, kind of…see, after that I saw that you were so happy with Heath…How you're always smiling when he's around and I figured that if everyone had that…they'd be happier. And Raven always seems so scary, and I figured that if he got together with Lucius…he might be…happier," She sniffed. Her plans had gone completely wrong. Instead of making Raven happier, her meddling had somehow gotten him into a fight with Rath. How had this happened?

"Hey, don't cry," Heath kneeled before her, petting her hair in a comforting manner.

Legault nodded, "You had a good plan, you know." He admitted, giving her a wry grin, "Things just went wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong."

"Legault, please! Could you try to make her feel better?" Heath frowned, giving Nino an awkward hug. He really did like the little girl, she was just a bit…much…sometimes. And he couldn't stand seeing women or children upset, and Nino was both a woman and a child.

The thief sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just telling her the truth. She really did have a decent plan, but meddling in other's lives is not a good hobby."

"_Legault_!" Heath cried again. He loved Legault, he really did, but the man could not speak to children!

"No," Nino spoke up. "Uncle Legault's right, Heath. I shouldn't have done it. I'm going to stop meddling after this, really I will…" She took a deep breath, "But I have to make things right first. I have to make things right and apologize and then I'll stop."

"Nino," Heath said softly.

The green-haired girl grinned, "Got to go now! I'll see you guys later, okay? Don't do anything you can't tell me about!" She laughed, breaking away from Heath and retreating into the crowd.

Heath turned crimson at Nino's last comment, stuttering something incoherent.

Legault chuckled, "The girl's too determined for her own good." He slung an arm over Heath's shoulders as the wyvern rider got back up.

"Should we follow her?" Heath asked, his gaze following a small figure with green hair who expertly wove herself through the maze of people. "In case she gets herself into something?"

"Nah," Legault said. "She can take care of herself."

------------------------------------

Slowly, Guy stood up, leaning against a tree for support. The tree, he noticed. The tree Matthew had been hiding from him in. The tree that he'd climbed into to capture Matthew. The tree he'd gotten stuck in. The tree Matthew had rescued him from. The tree under whose branches Matthew had almost…

He shook his head from side to side, "No no no!" He cried, clapping his hands over his ears.

After a few moments, he lowered one of his hands and brought the other up to his forehead, threading it into his dark green bangs.

"…He wasn't really going to, was he?" Guy asked no one in particular, "He wasn't actually going to…kiss me…" The last part came out as a squeak as he turned a very bright shade of crimson.

Guy let the memory replay over and over in his mind, Matthew pinning him down on the ground, leaning over him…whatever he'd been doing to his neck…and then…then…

"He really was going to kiss me," Guy whispered, moving his hands up to his lips. Briefly, he wondered what Matthew's lips would have felt like against his own. Nice, he thought. Very, very nice. Guy really didn't have much--well, any, really, he'd always been too busy pursuing his dream of being the best swordsmaster in Sacae to have much of a love life-- experience in the matter, but he bet Matthew was a good kisser. A very, very good kisser.

"Ahhh!" He shouted, beating himself over the head with his fists, "Why can't I stop thinking like that?! I do _not _like Matthew that way! I do not, I do not, I do not! I don't like Matthew _any _way at all!"

_'Sacaeans don't lie,_' an annoying little voice in his head reminded him.

"I'm not lying," He told that annoying little voice.

_'Sure you aren't,' _The voice drawled lazily, reminding him of a certain thief…

"Okay, okay! Maybe I like him a little bit! But just a little! An infinitely small little bit. A really, really little bit. And that's all. Really, that's all," He said in a tone that said that he didn't exactly believe himself. But that's only what it sounded like. He believed himself. He believed that he didn't like Matthew. Really, he did. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Nope. Not one.

_'You're lying again,'_ The voice said in a sing-song tone.

Okay, maybe there was one. One really annoying little doubt.

…He really wanted to strangle that little doubt right now. Better yet, take his killing edge to it and slice it into itty bitty pieces and then dice those pieces into even smaller pieces and then…well, you get the point, don't you?

"Shut up," Guy said to himself, sliding down the trunk of the tree until he was sitting on the ground again. "Just shut up." He played with the edge of his braid. His braid…he never wore his hair out of it. He hadn't for years. It got in the way when it was down and somehow it always ended up in his eyes. That's why he always kept it braided, with the headband to keep his bangs out of his eyes.

Slowly, his nimble fingers undid the string tied around the end of his braid. Slowly, carefully, he slid his fingers through the neat plait, the long strands of hair flowing around his shoulders and down his back. He picked up a lock, rubbing his fingers against it as he watched the way the sunlight glinted of the dark strands, making them shine a lighter green.

Briefly, he wondered what it would feel like to have Matthew play with his hair, to have Matthew slide his fingers through the long, silky strands. That would feel almost as nice as Matthew kissing on him would.

Briefly, he wished that Serra had not come that moment. That she hadn't dragged Matthew away. Hadn't she seen? Hadn't she noticed that both Matthew and Guy were blushing bright red, that Guy was on the ground in a rather compromising position?

"She probably thought we were just having another fight," Guy sighed. That's what he and Matthew were famous for, right? Fighting. Fighting and only fighting. Guy was famous for challenging Matthew to match after match after match and losing and never giving up. Matthew was famous for endlessly tormenting Guy, tugging on his braid, insulting him, taunting him and luring him into these ridiculous little matches and always emerging victorious, offering to help Guy off the ground with that infuriating smile. And Guy would refuse Matthew's help. Sometimes, he could get off of the ground and walk back to camp on his own. Sometimes, he was so exhausted that Matthew would just pick him up and carry him back, despite Guy's protests.

It felt nice. Having Matthew carry him. He felt…safe. Safe was an unusual feeling for him, especially around Matthew.

Guy had to wonder, what was he to Matthew? Was he simply a plaything that Matthew could discard at any time without a second thought?

He had to find out. He had to ask Matthew what he truly meant to him.

Standing up, he took a deep breath. It was now or never. What had Serra said? That Rath and Raven were having a fight? Serra had probably dragged Matthew over there. So, he'd just have to wander around until he found Matthew. It shouldn't be that hard.

With one last glance at the tree that had caused all of this, Guy wandered out of the clearing.

-----------------------------

"Serra, have you gotten us lost?" Matthew asked, casting a glance at the pig-tailed girl.

"Not exactly," She said with a wicked grin.

Matthew raised an eyebrow. What kind of scheme had Serra cooked up in that evil little brain of hers?

Smiling an evil sort of smile, Serra twirled a few locks of pink hair around her finger, "What exactly was going on back in that clearing, hmmm?" Her eyes narrowed, making her look like the cat that got the canary.

Matthew raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"With that boy…Guy or something. Rather dull name, if you ask me," She said, grinning up at Matthew with an 'I-know-your-secret' kind of look on her face.

A faint blush colored Matthew's cheeks and he looked away, avoiding eye contact with Serra at all costs. "I have no idea what you mean," he said stiffly.

"Oh, don't be such a spoil sport!" She said, pouting, "You were doing something with him, weren't you? Something more then fighting? Oooh…you were trying to ravage him, weren't you? Matthew, you naughty boy!" She laughed, waving a finger in his face.

Matthew blush darkened, "I wouldn't do anything like that to him!" He shouted, glaring at Serra.

"Don't try to deny it!" She giggled, doing a twirl. Tossing her scarf over her shoulder, she winked at Matthew. "You're in love!"

"Shut up, Serra," Matthew growled. Why did she always have to meddle in everyone's business? Nosy bishop.

"Matthew's in love, Matthew's in love," She sang, adding a long sigh. "It's good that you have resisted my charms…"

"What charms?!" Matthew exclaimed. Really, if she didn't shut up soon, Matthew was going to bang his head against a tree until he passed out. Or strangle her. Either one would work. Though strangling Serra would probably be better for him.

"My womanly charms! The ones that make every man fall head over heals in love with me!" Serra sighed dreamily, "Because, honestly Matthew, if you had fallen in love with me it would have been horrible for our friendship."

"What friendship?!"

Serra chose to ignore that comment, waving it off with a gloved hand. "Although, I really don't know what you see in Guy."

Matthew glared at Serra. She was really getting on his nerves now. And what did she mean, what did he see in him? Guy was gorgeous! He would have said something, but then he would be digging himself into a hole. A very deep hole.

Serra wrinkled her nose, "He's so skinny." She said, her tone of voice stating that she thought Guy was no-meat-on-his-bones sort of skinny.

"He's slender," Matthew corrected.

"He's pretty short, too." Serra continued, waving a hand.

"Petite."

"He's got nice hair," Serra admitted. "He probably should condition it a bit more, though."

Matthew sighed. At this rate he was never getting out of here.

------------------------------

Trying as best as he could not to use his injured arm for fear of re-opening the wound Lucius had so hurriedly closed, Kent pulled his shirt over his head, not bothering with his armor.

Finding Sain was the only thing on his mind. The other Caelin knight had run off in such a hurry. He really was a fool. He could have at least given Kent a chance to answer the sudden confession of love. Wasn't that the point? To find out if the other person felt the same way?

Kent paused. Did he feel the same way? He knew that when Sain was around he felt happy, even if the other cavalier was being extremely irritating. He knew that he got jealous when Sain flirted with the, as he put it, 'fair ladies', endlessly complimenting them. He knew that he had liked the feel of Sain's body next to his that one night at the inn when they hadn't had enough money and he and Sain had had to share a bed.

Shaking his head, Kent cleared his mind of all those thoughts and focused only on finding Sain. Everything else could wait. He'd sort out his feelings for the other once Sain was safe and sound.

Stepping out of the tent, he surveyed the area. It was deserted. The fight must be going on still. Kent hoped that Lucius would be successful in stopping it. Sighing, he wondered where Sain would have gone. Probably not back to the fight, as he seemed too distressed when he'd left to be among a throng of people.

If he were Sain, where would he go? An upset Sain, mind you. A normal Sain would be wherever the women were.

Finally, he decided to check the numerous clearings surrounding their current campsite. They were good to hide in if you wanted some time to think.

After a few minutes of searching the various clearings, Kent was about to give up hope. There were dozens of clearings. He'd need help to find Sain. It was going to get dark soon, and if Sain was lost out there…Kent bit his lip. He couldn't think like that.

He was about to go back to camp to check the clearings on the other side of the tents when a soft noise caught his attention. He walked towards a clearing a little whiles off, and as he got closer he spotted a figure in green armor, hunched over, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Sain?" He said quietly as he approached the figure.

The figured started, looking up from the ground, "Kent!" Sain exclaimed, "You shouldn't have come looking for me…your arm…"

Kent kneeled before Sain, putting a hand on the other's shoulder. "Forget about me, are you all right?" He asked in a worried tone.

Sain stared up at Kent for a moment, "…Kind of," he answered, giving Kent a sad sort of smile. "Kent, about what happened back there…" His eyes darted over in the direction of the tents.

"Sain, I," Kent began but Sain cut him off.

"I'm sorry, I don't what came over me and…" He took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. "If you want to forget that I said anything, its fine with me."

"Sain…" Kent said, brushing a few strands of Sain's hair away from his face.

"It's okay, Kent, really it is. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and if you want to forget all about it, that's fine, really it is! I mean, it's okay if you don't feel the same way about me, I wasn't really expecting you to and I don't know why I just blurted that out like that…I didn't mean to…" Sain took another deep breath, "Elimine, I feel sick."

"Sain!" Kent grabbed the other cavalier's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Calm down," He instructed. "Breathe."

Sain did as he was told, closing his eyes and breathing, but his breaths were shallow and fast.

Kent sighed and Sain's eyes flew open, a nervous look on his face.

"Kent? You…don't hate me now, do you?" Sain asked hesitantly. The worse thing that could happen was if Kent hated him. Kent was his partner, his best friend…he couldn't imagine life without Kent.

"No," Kent said. "Sain, I don't hate you." The red-head decided just to let his emotions take over. Slowly, his eyes never leaving Sain's, he closed the distance between them and brushed his lips over Sain's.

When he pulled back he smiled at Sain's shocked look.

"I love you too."

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Chapter 7-End

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(BlinkBlink)…I'm really not sure if I liked that ending scene very much. Ah, well…I guess it's all right. Hmm…This chapter turned out better …and longer… then I thought it would. Sorry for the wait, everyone. Eheh…

Oh, in other news, I've been flamed! (Is strangely proud of this fact)

Nari: She yelled at the flamer, too.

Hey! I had to teach him a lesson. It's not nice to flame people just because you're homophobic. Hmmf. Thanks to **avi17** for saying that my fics weren't garbage after the flamer did. (Grin) Thanks!

And, as always, please review! And remember, fanfiction inspires the (coughlazycough) authoress. (Smileysmiley)


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